Freya immediately sat up, gasping for air. A blanket slipped off her body as her mind reeled over what had just happened. She didn't want to believe it. She couldn't be trapped here forever.
Why did it have to be her? Especially when things were starting to look good for her. She couldn't help, but hate that god for putting her in this situation. Why couldn't this just be a bad nightmare?!
"You awake now?" A voice called out, snapping Freya out of her spiral.
Freya turned her head to the side to find Xavier sitting nearby, watching her. She turned away and looked down at her trembling hands, not sure what to say or do. She was so exhausted, both physically and mentally.
Realizing that Freya wasn't going to speak, Xavier added, "We'll be resting until dawn, so get some sleep. It'll be easier to move around in the morning."
Freya numbly nodded her head, settling back down on the hard ground. It wasn't comfortable, but she was too tired to complain about it. She just wanted to shut her eyes and hope that this would all disappear.
That she would find herself back in her own bed, laughing at this crazy dream.
But Freya knew better. This was no delusion. No matter how much she wished it to be. She was stuck in this world whether she liked it or not. Well, she could choose death, but that wasn't an option.
Death was one of her greatest fears. She'd do anything to avoid it.
Biting her lip to stop herself from sobbing, Freya knew her only option was to survive in this world. Build a life for herself. If that was even possible here.
Danger seemed to lurk at every corner and Freya wasn't sure if she could handle that. There seemed to be safe spaces from her chats with Xavier, but how developed were they?
She hoped that they were modern because there was no way she could survive in a primate world. Gosh, if she ever got her hands on that Beast God she'd skin them alive for doing this to her.
On the bright side though, at least I know Mom and Dad won't suffer. Freya sighed to herself. They won't know I existed, so it won't hurt them.
Even if it felt like being stabbed in the heart because she would never see them again.
***
It'd been an hour since Freya had sobbed herself to sleep, Xavier silently overhearing the whole thing. He wasn't sure what exactly was going through her mind, but one thing was clear to him.
Something terrible happened for her to land up in this forest.
He made note not to ask her about what had happened and would need to be careful when they got back to the city. The guards there would definitely start asking questions.
I'll probably need to have them put her in a separate room and discuss it with them alone. Xavier mused to himself. I doubt they'd want to push her…
Sighing, Xavier gazed up at the starry night, wondering how this had all happened. Why was he caring about what happened to this female? She was just meant to be a simple rescue mission to keep him out of trouble.
But now here he was making plans to keep others from causing her trouble. Was it because of Freya's promise to become his wife? Had some hidden protective instinct come out to play.
Whatever it was, it had Xavier in knots and he hated every bit of it. Perhaps he should just let go of their deal and explain it was a joke on his part. He was going to rescue her either way.
Her desperation had him wanting to see how far she'd go to live.
No, he couldn't back out now. His pride wouldn't allow him. Plus they had added conditions now. He finally had a chance to get out of those bastards' leash. He wouldn't give up the chance no matter what.
Shaking his head, Xavier glanced over at the sleeping Freya before turning his attention to the forest. Because while he was lucky enough to find a small barrier device to cover their presence, it didn't make them completely safe.
He could sense something dangerous lurking about.
***
A tall, lanky man with long blue hair gazed at the scene before him. Giant serpent-like monsters with a hole for a mouth ravished what seemed to be once a peaceful campsite.
The heavy scent of blood filled the air, making the man's blue eyes gleam. He turned away from the monsters gouging on the dead bodies to stare at the lone body a few meters away from the campsite.
A headless body.
So, I was right then. The man mused to himself, walking over to the headless corpse. This wasn't a random monster attack.
Someone had murdered his men. Probably some of those city dwellers, but why? His men were always careful not to get into fights they couldn't win. Especially when they were sent on missions by him.
Not to mention there were no corpses of anyone else but his men. Nor were there any heads. Meaning this was the work of some ability. Quite the powerful one too.
The man bent down in front of the corpse, closing his eyes and taking a big sniff. He wanted to see if he could find any lingering scent of whoever did this. Perhaps find their motive.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and he turned his attention to the nearby tree. A tiny piece of fabric lay there, its scent all too clear to him.
"So that's what they were after." The man chuckled wickedly. "Things just got fun. But first…"
He straightened up, turning to the monsters still devouring their meal. Their last meal. He made quick work of them, weaving between the group of five, using his claws to behead them.
Blood splattered across his face and body, but the man took no care. After all, he was used to bathing in a bath of blood. Instead, he turned his attention back to the tiny piece of fabric excited for his new hunt.